Chapter One:

It was dark and a cold rain fell... It was impossible to see more than a pace away from where you stood, and there was nothing but a flat surface that seemed to stretch for miles. In truth, it could be only a small platform, but in the dark and rain direction and size were as nothing.

"Ash Ketchum." A strange voice came from the darkness.

Ash turned, trying to find the source of the voice. "Yeah?" He asked.

"You shouldn't be here... Everything that has ever happened to you... was never meant to happen."

"What- What do you mean?" Ash asked, shocked. Voices echoed in his mind, memories of things he'd done.

...The day he'd first met Pikachu, his tenth birthday, and what he'd said then: "Heh... I love him already..."

...The Orange Islands and the Festival where he'd met Lugia and been the Chosen One.

...Sammy, who he had met by chance because of Celibi time-traveling with the boy from forty years ago.

...His first kiss, from the girl who could have been Bianca or Latias.

...Meeting Lucario and discovering his abilities with Aura... Abilities he'd never told his friends about, but definitely still had.

...The entire legend of Sir Aaron, which gave Ash chills. Why was his Aura the same as Sir Aaron's? What was it about the legends that resonated within him so?

"You'll learn soon enough..." The voice sighed, fading out into the darkness.

"Wait!" Ash shouted. "Come back! ...Who are you?"

"You'll learn soon enough..." The voice echoed.

And then, everything was gone.

Ash woke with a start, panting. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He'd been having strange dreams a lot the past few years... Ever since the whole Guardian of Aura incident. But this one was the strangest yet.

"Heh..." Ash laughed nervously. His voice was deeper than it had been on his journeys. He'd come home to take a break from traveling around the world for a while... Even heroes got homesick sometimes. Besides, he had lots of training to do if he were going to be ready for the upcoming tournament at Indigo Plateau. He wanted to win this time, to be one step closer to the dream he'd been chasing for years.

Which reminded him that today was a special day.

"Ash!" His mother called, knocking on his bedroom door. "Rise and shine, dear."

"I'm up already, Mom."

"Oh, are you? Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Ash grinned.

Delia walked in, smiling. "Well... Let's see... I know there's something different today. What in the world could it be..."

"It's my birthday, Mom. You know that."

She smiled. "Yes, that's it. Now... How old are you today...?"

Ash chuckled. "Come on, Mom. Quit kidding around."

"Sixteen, my goodness." Delia messed Ash's hair. "Sixteen already..."

"So, what did you get me?" Ash asked.

"Get ready and you'll see."

You'll learn soon enough... Ash shivered.

Delia's brow wrinkled. "Everything all right, Ash?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'm fine."

"Okay, hurry up and get ready. I have a surprise for you."

"Sure, Mom." She left and he quickly got ready for the day. After getting clothes on, he combed his hair. He still wore his trademark cap, even though he'd gotten taller and stronger. Actually, the clothes he put on for the day looked almost exactly like the clothes he'd worn at the start of his journey.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu peeked out from under Ash's pillow.

"Hey, buddy, you're finally up! Remember what today is?"

Pikachu smiled. "Pi Pika!"

Ash grinned. "I'll take that as a yes! You're right... We met six years ago today."

"Pika Pi!"

"Come on, Mom says she has a special present for me."

Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's shoulder, and the two of them proceeded downstairs. No sooner had Ash come into the living room, there was a knock at the front door. Delia smiled at him. "Why don't you get it, Ash?"

Ash shrugged, and opened the door. "Surprise!" Brock and Misty said together.

"Brock! Misty! You guys came for my birthday?"

"Yeah, you didn't honestly think we'd miss it, did you?" Misty asked.

"Well..." Ash smiled. "It's just that I haven't seen either of you for a while... Especially you, Misty."

"Aw, I'm getting tired of being a Gym Leader anyway, Ash. When you're ready to return to your journey, count me in."

"Me, too." Brock grinned.

"Happy birthday Ash!" Misty said, patting Pikachu on the head. "How's Pikachu been doing?"

"Great." Ash said.

"Pikachu!"

Misty laughed. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." She looked at Ash closer. "Wow, you've changed a lot since I last saw you."

"Yeah, he's a young man now." Delia smiled sadly. "Looking more and more like his father every day."

Ash's face darkened. His mother rarely spoke of his father. She always seemed so sad when she thought of him... Ash wanted to change the subject. "Yeah... It's hard to believe it's been six years since I started my journey..."

Misty and Brock shared a glance. "What's wrong, Ash?" Misty asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Ash smiled. "Just... I was thinking about something, but it's not important. Come on in, let's start the celebration!"

His old friends smiled, and came in.

A lot of Ash's other friends joined them, too, like May and Max, Dawn, Richie, Todd, Tracy, Molly and her Dad... People he hadn't seen in a long time, people he was glad to see again. He was surprised that his Mom and the Professor managed to get them all together like this.

Later, everyone sat around a table to give Ash his birthday cake. Even Prof. Oak took time out of his busy schedule to stop by.

The cake was shaped like a Pikachu's face, to Pikachu's surprise, and baked by Delia.

"Happy sixteenth, Ash!" Everyone said together.

Ash smiled. "Thanks, guys."

Then, he suddenly got a terrible feeling. It made him dizzy, lightheaded... And yet, there was something strangely familiar about it, too. What was it? What did it mean?

Ash glanced to the northeast, wondering why he felt something drawing him in that direction.

"Pika Pi?" Pikachu asked, worried.

Ash shook his head. "It's okay, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." But he really wasn't sure... He put a false smile on, and dug into his slice of cake. This made everyone else feel better, and soon the others were laughing, reminiscing, and having a good time.

Pikachu, however, sensed something still bothered Ash. But obviously Ash didn't want to think about it, so Pikachu dug into the cake, too.

/...Dark things come./

Ash abruptly put down his fork. It was the voice again, the voice from his dream.

"Pika?"

"Ash?" Delia asked.

Everyone was staring at him, but he couldn't speak.

/...The way has been opened. The Chosen One must act quickly. Time grows short, and forever long.../

"I... I don't feel well." Ash said, dismissing himself from the table and running inside his house.

He closed and locked the door behind him, crumpling to the floor and holding his head in his hands.

"Pika?" Pikachu stared up at Ash.

"I... I..."

/...The Phoenix bids you to come, Chosen One. Time grows short... Decide quickly./

"...The Phoenix?" Ash asked. "What the heck?"

"Pika Pika!"

The voice didn't return.

"It's okay, buddy, I'm better now." This wasn't entirely true, he still had the feeling of imminent doom. "Let's go make sure the others know that."

I have to find "the way..." Ash thought. But where is it?

Northeast. He realized. Somewhere in that direction... But what, where?

Suddenly, a vision came to him, the familiar walls of his home fading to a strange and unfamiliar place, far away... A green and forested town taking it's place, where a girl sat beneath an ancient tree, her eyes closed, deep in thought...

Rui opened her eyes suddenly. "Seth, I just felt a... disturbance."

Seth turned to her, concerned. "A disturbance, Rui?"

They were in Agate Village, outside Rui's grandfather's house. Not far from the Relic Stone, where Celibi was said to appear.

"Rui?" Seth asked.

"Something's not right..." Rui mumbled. She'd always been sensitive, and when Cipher had started creating Shadow Pokemon, she had been able to see the dark auras that surrounded them. Seth had reason to believe her when she said something was wrong.

"What is it?" He asked, worry written all over his face.

"The Relic Stone... I think."

"Let's go see."

They ran quickly to the Relic Forest that was hidden beyond some trees in the lower levels of Agate Village. It was a beautiful forest, but as they entered even Seth could feel that something was amiss.

When they came to the Relic Stone, they stopped in their tracks, jaws agape. There was a dark portal where the stone should have been, and glowing blue letters shone through the dark.

The Phoenix awaits beyond.

Seth glanced at Rui, then made for the door.

There was a bright flash, and the letters changed.

Only the Chosen One may pass.

"The Chosen One?" Seth asked, but he backed away from the door.

The letters returned to their original state. The Phoenix awaits beyond.

"How strange..." Rui remarked. "I wonder who the Chosen One is, and what it means..."

"I bet your grandfather would know..."

"Yeah, let's go ask him."

They returned to her grandfather's house and told him everything.

"The Phoenix... and the Chosen One?" Eagun asked.

"Yeah." Rui said.

"Well, the Phoenix I can only guess at... but I seem to remember that Ho-Oh was considered a Phoenix Pokemon... Also, Phoenixes are considered a symbol of rebirth."

"Like how they burn when they die and are reborn from their ashes?" Rui asked.

"Exactly." Eagun chuckled. "Now, on the matter of the Chosen One... I believe I know exactly who it means."

"Really?" Seth asked.

"Yes. Not that long ago, there was a crisis. I'm sure you both remember when all the Pokemon started acting strangely."

Rui nodded, and Seth chuckled nervously.

"Er... Definitely." Seth smirked. "I was on watch duty for Snagem at the time... Man, that was awful..."

"Watch duty?" Rui asked.

"Yeah, you know... Watching after the... um... acquired Pokemon..."

"Oh." Rui smiled. "Right."

Seth sighed in relief. Rui was probably the only person who didn't care that he'd been a part of Team Snagem, who steal the Pokemon of other trainers like Team Rocket... Though Eagun never revealed his feelings on the matter one way or another. Presumably, they were both content with the fact that he'd turned traitor and helped save Orre from the Shadow Pokemon.

"But what does that have to do with the Chosen One?" Seth asked.

"Well, during that crisis there was a boy who had been named the "Chosen One" for a festival... But he wound up fulfilling a prophecy that had existed for centuries. His name was Ash Ketchum... And I do believe he just might be the Chosen One this gate means as well."

"Ash Ketchum?" Seth asked. "Isn't he that trainer that won a bunch of tournaments and stuff?"

"That would be him."

"I could try to contact him." Rui said. "Where does he live?"

"Pallet Town." Eagun told her.

"Okay, let's get a message to Pallet Town as soon as we can, Seth." Rui seemed worried. "I think this is urgent. Pallet Town... That's west of Orre, right grandpa?"

"Yes, there are ferry services that come from Pallet Town to Gateon Port. That's not too far from Agate Village and Relic Forest..."

"I know, grandpa. I've taken the ferry before."

"Who could we contact in Pallet Town, Eagun?" Seth asked.

"Prof. Oak lives there... I bet he could find Ash."

"Okay, thanks." Seth and Rui headed for the Pokemon Center to send a message right away...

Ash blinked still leaning against the door of his house, and Pikachu looked up at him. He smiled.

"Looks like we're heading to Agate Village in Orre, Pikachu."

Author: This is a re-do of Unknown Origins. I was having a few issues with some stuff in that, so this is the edited version where I fixed them.

Dubbed "Unknown Origins" because I really don't know the origin anymore. It's changed over such a long time I've forgotten... Also, the sources I do recall are all over the place. The movies, the anime, the games... Including Collosseum, XD, and the Explorers series. So in short, I include whatever I think pertains to this, and leave out what I don't like.

To sum up what I said in the notes in the original version... This story has evolved many times over as I continue playing Pokemon and watching the old episodes and stuff. I like certain elements from the new, but loved a lot about the old Pokemon, too, things they got rid of that I'll never forgive. (Like Misty. She was an awesome character. I hated May at first, but she kind of grew on me a bit, but I still missed Misty. Now I don't even bother trying to reconcile the "new friends" anymore. Hence, they're kind of just stand-by in this story. Sorry if you like them. I'd rather acknowledge them, but not have them in the story per se, since I don't like them so much.)

I call the hero of Collosseum "Seth" because I like it better than Wes. I also like him and Rui a lot out of all the characters ever in the whole thing... I work elements from XD into this, too, as you'll see, but I got rid of the main character from that.

Also, I'm one of a small but growing cult of Pokemon fans who love Sir Aaron and the potential for greatness there with Ash... And also of the even smaller cult that have Aaron as Ash's father. Yes, that's right. I am a fan of CGo7's "Son of Aura." Rest assured, I had the idea before I ever read that, though, so it didn't really influence me much. (I hope.)

Anyway, enjoy. Leave a review if you will. Thanks.